Scottish Executive

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the effects on children of experiencing domestic abuse.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive has not commissioned research to look at the wider effects on children of experiencing domestic abuse, but I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30303 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into links between experiencing domestic abuse and mental illness in young people.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive has commissioned two pieces of research that are relevant to this important topic. A study is under way to look at the prevalence of mental health problems amongst children and young people in the care of Scottish local authorities. The research will aim to identify the factors that contribute to mental health problems and it is possible that domestic abuse will emerge as a factor in certain cases. Also, children who have experience of domestic abuse will be included in a study commissioned by the Working Group on Refuge Provision. This will investigate children's experiences, preferences and priorities in relation to refuges for women, children and young people with a view to establishing their future needs.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school with no qualifications in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of school leavers from publicly funded schools with no qualifications at or above SCQF level 3 are shown in the following table.

  

 

1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01P




Aberdeen City 
  

137 
  

116 
  

122 
  

126 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

88 
  

95 
  

67 
  

74 
  



Angus 
  

59 
  

65 
  

59 
  

62 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

51 
  

28 
  

30 
  

21 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

50 
  

29 
  

39 
  

43 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

77 
  

58 
  

56 
  

63 
  



Dundee City 
  

190 
  

180 
  

145 
  

197 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

93 
  

89 
  

77 
  

88 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

58 
  

37 
  

28 
  

26 
  



East Lothian 
  

49 
  

23 
  

28 
  

27 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

33 
  

20 
  

16 
  

23 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

239 
  

247 
  

274 
  

263 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

42 
  

37 
  

53 
  

25 
  



Falkirk 
  

106 
  

65 
  

77 
  

76 
  



Fife 
  

165 
  

208 
  

174 
  

195 
  



Glasgow City 
  

830 
  

707 
  

671 
  

716 
  



Highland 
  

106 
  

76 
  

79 
  

94 
  



Inverclyde 
  

54 
  

56 
  

40 
  

49 
  



Midlothian 
  

56 
  

42 
  

22 
  

39 
  



Moray 
  

36 
  

30 
  

32 
  

35 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

111 
  

89 
  

76 
  

71 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

270 
  

237 
  

245 
  

239 
  



Orkney Islands 
  

4 
  

8 
  

4 
  

1 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

51 
  

64 
  

49 
  

68 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

129 
  

97 
  

94 
  

127 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

46 
  

42 
  

44 
  

44 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

18 
  

1 
  

3 
  

4 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

69 
  

39 
  

59 
  

58 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

209 
  

190 
  

210 
  

235 
  



Stirling 
  

80 
  

62 
  

51 
  

36 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

70 
  

91 
  

64 
  

94 
  



West Lothian 
  

82 
  

61 
  

81 
  

100 
  



Scotland 
  

3,658 
  

3,189 
  

3,069 
  

3,319 
  



  PFigures for 2000-01 are provisional and may be slightly revised downwards as updated information is provided by schools.

European Union

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts there are in its European Union Office in Brussels, giving a description of each post.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are nine posts in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO). Details of the work of the SEEUO can be found in the Scottish Executive Business Directory, which is available to MSPs.

Firearms

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what rules govern the disposal of surplus police weapons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Police Service policy is that all police firearms deemed surplus to requirements are destroyed.

Firearms

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) firearms are currently held by the police and (b) officers are qualified to hold firearms, broken down by police force area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in the following table:

  


Forces 
  

No. of Firearms 
  

No. of Qualified Officers 
  



Central 
  

79 
  

48 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

96 
  

40 
  



Fife 
  

92 
  

58 
  



Grampian 
  

131 
  

122 
  



Lothian and Borders 
  

174 
  

105 
  



Northern 
  

143 
  

69 
  



Strathclyde 
  

627 
  

215 
  



Tayside 
  

95 
  

63

Firearms

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements a police officer must meet before being entitled to be issued with a firearm.

Mr Jim Wallace: Firearms are only issued to officers who are authorised and trained in that particular class of weapon and have continued to undergo the corresponding tactical training.

  Every applicant for firearms training is required to complete a comprehensive application form and this form is assessed against a range of key competencies, including restraint and control, teamwork and co-operation, and decision making under pressure. Officers also undergo a series of health checks assessing their fitness, stability, hearing, and eyesight.

  After successful completion of this process officers attend a three-week Induction course where they learn all aspects of firearms training including legislation, tactics, use of force and shooting accuracy. If successful, the officer will be authorised to use police issue firearms and issued with an authorisation showing the types of weapons which may be used. The authorisation card is produced before a weapon is issued and always carried when the officer is armed.

  Authorisations are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that officers’ weapons handling and accuracy continue to be of a sufficient standard to allow them to carry their weapons. This review also confirms whether they remain suitable for the role.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there should be further relaxations to the 20-day standstill rule on livestock movements; whether the detailed risk assessment and wide ranging cost-benefit analysis as recommended in Foot and Mouth Disease 2001: Lessons to be Learned Inquiry has been completed, and whether any measures will be introduced regarding the 20-day rule in the current year.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no immediate plans to revise the current interim movement regime. The present arrangements will be reviewed with industry stakeholders once the results of the detailed veterinary risk assessment and associated cost-benefit analysis, as recommended by the Lessons to be Learned Inquiry, are known. Findings from these studies will be available in the New Year.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29955 by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2002, how many of the 1,970 payments to agricultural producers were (a) less than £20,000, (b) (i) £20,001 to £30,000, (ii) £30,001 to £40,000, (iii) £40,001 to £50,000, (iv) £50,001 to £60,000, (v) £60,001 to £70,000, (vi) £70,001 to £80,000, (vii) £80,001 to £90,000, and (viii) £90,001 to £100,000 and (c) over £100,000.

Ross Finnie: The information is detailed in the following table:

  


Level of Payment 
  

Total Number of Payments 
  



Less than £20,000 
  

909 
  



£20,001-£30,000 
  

141 
  



£30,001-£40,000 
  

92 
  



£40,001-£50,000 
  

93 
  



£50,001-£60,000 
  

64 
  



£60,001-£70,000 
  

67 
  



£70,001-£80,000 
  

38 
  



£80,001-£90,000 
  

37 
  



£90,001-£100,000 
  

41 
  



Over £100,000 
  

471 
  



Total 
  

1,953 
  



  Note:

  The total number of payments made has been amended since the answer was provided to question S1W-29955.

Hospitals

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals exist to upgrade community hospitals in order to treat patients near their own homes.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have made clear to the health service that local communities should be at the centre of planning and service delivery. That requires the appropriate supporting infrastructures. It is for NHS boards to determine requirements and to agree suitable local arrangements. This includes deciding how community hospitals can best support the development of local services.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) charged with and (b) convicted of (i) serious assault, (ii) rape, (ii) culpable homicide and (iv) murder are currently out on bail.

Mr Jim Wallace: Apart from the five persons who are currently on interim liberation pending an appeal against their conviction for murder, the number of people currently on bail for selected offences cannot be readily identified within the statistics available centrally. Information is not collected on the cancellation or revocation of bail. It is not therefore generally possible to determine from the available statistics how many persons granted bail following initial charge or who were released on bail pending an appeal against a conviction are currently on bail at any given time.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29686 by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 October 2002, how many (a) males and (b) females diagnosed with depression in the under-14 age group were aged (i) under five years and (ii) five years or older.

Malcolm Chisholm: From a sample of Scottish General Practices, estimates of the numbers seen by GPs in Scotland for depression are as follows. Also shown are confidence intervals that indicate the range within which the actual number is expected to lie.

  Estimated Number of Patients Seen for Depression, Year Ending 31 December 2001 (with 95% Confidence Intervals)

  


Age Group (Years) 
  

Males 
  

Females 
  



0 to 4 
  

125 (61 to 252) 
  

100 (32 to 191) 
  



5 to 14 
  

225 (127 to 361) 
  

650 (491 to 884) 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland Continuous Morbidity Recording system.

Mental Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many guardianships have been (a) applied for and (b) awarded under the vulnerable adults procedures in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03 to date, broken down by local authority.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information on the number of guardianships granted under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in the three years 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02, and the number applied for and granted under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 from April 2002 to date, by local authority area, is provided in the following tables. Information on the number of guardianships applied for under the 1984 act is not available centrally.

  Number1 of Guardianships Granted Under the Mental Health (Scotland ) Act 1984

  


Authority 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

7 
  

16 
  

16 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

* 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Angus 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

0 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Dundee City 
  

6 
  

* 
  

9 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



East Lothian 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

12 
  

17 
  

21 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

0 
  

0 
  

* 
  



Falkirk 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Fife 
  

9 
  

17 
  

19 
  



Glasgow City 
  

22 
  

27 
  

32 
  



Highland 
  

21 
  

18 
  

13 
  



Inverclyde 
  

0 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Midlothian 
  

* 
  

* 
  

0 
  



Moray 
  

0 
  

* 
  

* 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

0 
  

* 
  

8 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

* 
  

9 
  

9 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

* 
  

6 
  

* 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



Stirling 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

* 
  

* 
  

* 
  



West Lothian 
  

* 
  

6 
  

10 
  



Total 
  

126 
  

160 
  

190 
  



  Notes:

  1. Information supplied by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

  *Number is less than five.

  With effect from 1 April 2002 guardianship under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 was replaced by guardianship under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. The following table provides information on the number of guardianships sought and granted since 1 April 2002 under the 2000 act.

  Number1 of Guardianships Applied for and Granted Under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000

  

 

Guardianship Applied For 
  

Guardianship Granted 
  



Welfare 
  

Financial 
  

Joint 
  

Welfare 
  

Financial 
  

Joint 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

15 
  

1 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

6 
  

0 
  

5 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Angus 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

10 
  

0 
  

2 
  

8 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

5 
  

4 
  

1 
  

2 
  

3 
  

0 
  



Dundee City 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

5 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Lothian 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

7 
  

4 
  

2 
  

6 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Falkirk 
  

2 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

1 
  

0 
  



Fife 
  

6 
  

0 
  

1 
  

6 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Glasgow City 
  

14 
  

2 
  

1 
  

10 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Highland 
  

13 
  

2 
  

0 
  

8 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Inverclyde 
  

1 
  

1 
  

2 
  

1 
  

1 
  

2 
  



Midlothian 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Moray 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

2 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

5 
  

3 
  

0 
  

4 
  

2 
  

0 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

9 
  

0 
  

0 
  

5 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

3 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

1 
  

0 
  

3 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

5 
  

3 
  

3 
  

3 
  

3 
  

1 
  



Stirling 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  



West Lothian 
  

6 
  

1 
  

0 
  

4 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

135 
  

25 
  

26 
  

89 
  

10 
  

9 
  



  Note:

  1. Information supplied by the Office of the Public Guardian.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all children with a mental illness are given adequate psychological treatment to support drug therapy.

Malcolm Chisholm: Individual care decisions are a matter for clinicians in consultation with the relevant professional staff/multi-disciplinary team and should always be based on individually assessed needs.

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages any police involvement in respect of non-compliance of a compulsory treatment order under the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill.

Malcolm Chisholm: As can already happen under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in respect of a person who is absent without leave from detention or fails to return from a period of authorised leave of absence, the police could be involved, for example, in returning a person subject to a compulsory treatment order who has absconded from hospital. Such involvement may be necessary to support the care team in ensuring the safety of the patient and others.

Mental Health (Scotland) Bill

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions could be taken in the event of a patient not complying with a compulsory treatment order under the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are not intended to be sanctions in the sense of any form of punishment for non-compliance with a compulsory treatment order (CTO). If a person is absent without leave from a hospital where they are detained or a place they are required to reside, Part 16 of the bill sets out procedures under which they can be returned to hospital. Sections 84 to 86 set out other procedures where a person subject to a CTO fails to attend for medical treatment when so required or to comply with conditions of the order.

Nutrition

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to study nutritional deficiencies and requirements of children with behavioural problems.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and care needs in Scotland.

  The CSO is not currently directly funding any research projects into nutritional deficiencies and requirements of children with behavioural problems but would be pleased to consider funding suitable research proposals into this subject. Such proposals would need to be of a sufficiently high standard and would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27908 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 August 2002, why HM Prison Shotts, which is a 516-place high-security prison for long-term prisoners, was considered to be sufficiently comparable to a 700-place local prison to serve as a basis for calculating the staffing required for such a prison in the public sector.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The new prison assumes high security for 700 prisoner places with full flexibility in respect of the type of prisoners being accommodated over 25 years. HM Prison Shotts was considered to be an appropriate comparator prison for this exercise based on its size and role.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28127 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 August 2002, whether it is aware of the internal procedures for preventing conflict of interest in PricewaterhouseCoopers and whether these procedures were applied in the case of the prison estates review.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service is satisfied that PricewaterhouseCoopers’ procedures for preventing conflict of interest were applied in the case of the prison estates review.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of the consultation on the prison estates review.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The cost of printing the estates review consultation paper and its two associated documents was £4,238.35. Preparation of the documents and conduct of the public consultation exercise was primarily the responsibility of a team of between three and five Scottish Prison Service staff, who also dealt with other matters connected with the review. A number of other staff in the Scottish Prison Service and elsewhere in the Executive were also involved.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28706 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, what assessment it has made of best value in respect of contracting out prisoner escorts.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information referred to in the answer given to question S1W-28706 will be used to assess value during the evaluation of bids received in response to the tender exercise now under way.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28706 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, what annual savings it estimates that it will make by contracting out prisoner escorts.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Accurate information is not currently available. Arrangements for the collection and analysis of relevant data are being made as part of the tender exercise currently under way.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28706 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, when it will be able to give the cost to the Scottish Prison Service of providing prisoner escorts in each of the last three years and whether it will place the information in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre once it is available.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Relevant data is being collected and analysed for the 12 months from December 2001. This will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre in due course.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28706 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, whether it has sought any external advice with regard to contracting out prisoner escorts.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  As part of the project to contract out prisoner escort services and following competitive tender exercises, the SPS has engaged the services of PA Consulting and Semple Fraser WS to provide project management, commercial, legal and financial advice.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs of education services have been in each Scottish Prison Service prison in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29771 on 15 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been taken from HM Prison Cornton Vale to hospital for reasons other than for routine treatment in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The readily available information is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Number 
  



1999 
  

48 
  



2000 
  

62 
  



2001 
  

75 
  



Jan-Sept 2002 
  

40

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what annual fee is paid by it for the prisoner escort service contract under paragraph 30.1 of the Minute of Agreement Between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This information is at Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd’s request treated as commercially confidential and as the prisoner escorting and court custody services are currently out to tender, publication of such information might prejudice the value for money of any future contract.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which of HM Prison (a) Barlinnie and (b) Kilmarnock the cost of doubling-up prisoners in cells for (i) two days or less and (ii) more than two days is lower.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Robust information is not available which would enable a valid comparison to be made between these two existing prisons. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30374 today, and to the fact that robust information is available which shows that the average annual cost per prisoner place on an net present value basis over a 25-year period in a public sector built and run prison of about 700 places is about £24,500 compared with £11,800 for an equivalent private sector build and run prison.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29140 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 October 2002, how many of the unruly certificate remands listed were (a) issued by a police inspector or higher graded officer and (b) resulted in (i) detention by (1) the police and (2) social work services and (ii) no further action.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  All of the four unruly certificates relating to prisoners held by SPS referred to in the answer given to question S1W-29140 were issued by the courts.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current design capacity is of each Scottish Prison Service prison and what the average daily prisoner population was in each prison in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Detailed in the table is the current design capacity and average prisoner population (2001-02) for each Scottish Prison Service establishment.

  


Establishment 
  

Design Capacity 
  

Average Prisoner Population 
  



Aberdeen 
  

155 
  

197 
  



Barlinnie 
  

1,017 
  

1,090 
  



Castle Huntly 
  

156 
  

136 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

230 
  

237 
  



Dumfries 
  

178 
  

126 
  



Edinburgh 
  

643 
  

689 
  



Glenochil 
  

496 
  

485 
  



Glenochil YOI 
  

174 
  

89 
  



Greenock 
  

254 
  

317 
  



Inverness 
  

108 
  

133 
  



Kilmarnock 
  

548 
  

536 
  



Low Moss 
  

375 
  

325 
  



Noranside 
  

135 
  

103 
  



Perth 
  

593 
  

493 
  



Peterhead 
  

306 
  

291 
  



Polmont 
  

422 
  

431 
  



Shotts 
  

528 
  

512 
  



Total 
  

6,318 
  

6,189

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of staffing at HM Prison Kilmarnock by occupation category and what proportion of the staff live in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun postcode areas.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This is a matter for Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many breaches of security there have been in the health centre in HM Prison Kilmarnock in each year since the centre opened.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service is not aware of any failures of security procedures - as defined in Performance Measure 2.1(i) in Schedule F of the Contract - within the HM Prison Kilmarnock Health Care Centre.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has held formal discussions with the Scottish Prison Service about the contract with Premier Prison Services Ltd to run HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: As part of the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Prison Service advises and has discussions with ministers on all relevant aspects of prisons as necessary including contractual matters, for example, in connection with the estates review. There have been no separate formal discussions.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25569 by Mr Jim Wallace on 16 May 2002, what performance points have been accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock broken down for each heading in Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock , in the current year of its contract to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  At present, the performance points accrued for the first six months of this financial year (April to September) are:

  


Performance Measures 
  

Year 4: First Two Quarters 
  



2.1(a) 
  

5 
  



2.1(b) 
  

0 
  



2.1(c) 
  

0 
  



2.1(d) 
  

0 
  



2.1(e) 
  

5 
  



2.1(f) 
  

10 
  



2.1(g) 
  

550 
  



2.1(h) 
  

0 
  



2.1(i) 
  

290 
  



2.2(a) 
  

50 
  



2.2(b) 
  

210 
  



2.2(c) 
  

40 
  



2.2(d) 
  

0 
  



2.2(e) 
  

0 
  



2.2(f) 
  

10 
  



2.2(g) 
  

740 
  



2.2(h) 
  

135 
  



2.2(i) 
  

0 
  



2.2(j) 
  

0 
  



2.2(k) 
  

10 
  



2.2(l) 
  

0 
  



2.2(m) 
  

8 
  



2.3(a) 
  

0 
  



2.3(b) 
  

0 
  



2.3(c) 
  

0 
  



2.3(d) 
  

0 
  



2.3(e) 
  

0 
  



2.3(f) 
  

0 
  



2.3(g) 
  

0 
  



2.3(h) 
  

0 
  



2.3(i) 
  

0 
  



2.4(a) 
  

0 
  



2.4(b) 
  

100 
  



2.4(c) 
  

0 
  



2.4(d) 
  

205 
  



2.4(e) 
  

0 
  



2.4(f) 
  

0 
  



2.4(g) 
  

0 
  



2.4(h) 
  

0 
  



2.5(a) 
  

0 
  



2.5(b) 
  

0 
  



2.5(c) 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

2,368

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of staff at each Scottish Prison Service prison left in each year since 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. The available information is as follows:

  


Establishment 
  

01-04-99 to 31-03-00 
  

01-04-00 to 31-03-01 
  

01-04-01 to 31-03-02 
  



Number of Leavers 
  

% Turnover 
  

Number of Leavers 
  

% Turnover 
  

Number of Leavers 
  

% Turnover 
  



Aberdeen 
  

7 
  

4 
  

9 
  

5 
  

20 
  

13 
  



Barlinnie 
  

53 
  

9 
  

55 
  

9 
  

41 
  

7 
  



Castle Huntly 
  

4 
  

6 
  

7 
  

8 
  

3 
  

4 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

13 
  

5 
  

29 
  

12 
  

27 
  

11 
  



Dumfries 
  

11 
  

7 
  

12 
  

7 
  

17 
  

11 
  



Edinburgh 
  

43 
  

9 
  

45 
  

10 
  

61 
  

14 
  



Friarton 
  

5 
  

10 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Glenochil 
  

27 
  

6 
  

22 
  

5 
  

29 
  

6 
  



Greenock 
  

10 
  

6 
  

19 
  

10 
  

22 
  

12 
  



Inverness 
  

9 
  

9 
  

9 
  

8 
  

16 
  

15 
  



Low Moss 
  

15 
  

9 
  

10 
  

6 
  

19 
  

11 
  



Noranside 
  

4 
  

6 
  

5 
  

7 
  

7 
  

10 
  



Perth 
  

41 
  

10 
  

36 
  

8 
  

41 
  

9 
  



Polmont 
  

25 
  

7 
  

29 
  

9 
  

26 
  

7 
  



Peterhead 
  

24 
  

9 
  

33 
  

13 
  

25 
  

11 
  



Shotts 
  

33 
  

7 
  

26 
  

6 
  

36 
  

8 
  



  Note:

  Leavers are persons who leave SPS’s employment, not those who leave one establishment to work at another.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the highest number of prisoners detained in HM Prison Kilmarnock has been since the prison opened; how many prisoners are currently detained in the prison, and what percentage of the prison’s total capacity these figures represent.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The highest number has been 570, on 3rd October 2002 and on 1 and 2 March 2002; on 14 October 2002 it was 530. These represent 104 and 97 per cent respectively of the prison’s current capacity of 548.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any intention of entering into any contracts with the private sector for a period in excess of 10 years in the light of its announcements on the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Yes. Twenty to 30 years for new prison facilities is the norm.

Public Sector Staff

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in its policy on the location and relocation of public sector jobs.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has made good progress in locating public sector jobs around Scotland. The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department is now wholly located in Glasgow, The Food Standards Agency has been set up in Aberdeen, The Public Guardians office in Falkirk, The Scottish Public Pensions Agency in Galashiels, The Commission for the Regulation of Care in Dundee and the headquarters of Scottish Water in Dunfermline.

  We will be revising guidance to organisations carrying out reviews to clarify the Executive's intentions on the relocation policy particularly in relation to social and economic issues such as unemployment.

  The Executive recognises that particularly in remote areas, even small numbers of additional jobs can make a significant difference to social and economic conditions. The Executive, will therefore, commission an additional series of relocation reviews covering all organisations covered by the policy requiring them to identify small units of work which are location independent and might be successfully carried out at remote locations. We will where necessary make funding available over the next three financial years to offset some of the start-up costs. Access to funding will be open to the wider public sector and not just those public bodies covered by the established relocation policy.

Road Signs

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance it issues discourages the use of directional road signs showing islands as destinations and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Lewis Macdonald: Guidance on the Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs is contained in Local Transport Note 1/1994. No mention is made in this document which would discourage the use of directional road signs showing islands as destinations.

Scottish Executive Departments

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts there are in its External Relations Division, giving a description of each post.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are 23 posts in the External Relations Division. Details of the work of the division can be found in the Scottish Executive Business Directory, which is available to MSPs.

Social Work

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average case load has been for social workers in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 to date, broken down by local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in discussions with the voluntary sector on funding under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Cathy Jamieson: Applications for funding under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 have now been received and are currently under consideration. Funding decisions will be announced by 31 December 2002.

  Discussions have been held with voluntary organisations who expressed particular concern about future funding.

Special Advisers

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has a special adviser on European and external relations policy and, if so, what the advisor’s name is.

Mr Andy Kerr: The First Minister has a team of special advisers whose purpose is to provide advice to ministers on the full range of topics covered by the Scottish Executive. None of the advisers is dedicated solely to European and External Relations policy.

Sport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is still considering the establishment of a school sport alliance; what the reasons are for its position on this matter, and when it will make an announcement on the issue.

Dr Elaine Murray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26945 on 4 July 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the fluoride that would be used in public water supplies if fluoridation goes ahead would contain arsenic, lead, beryllium, cadmium, vanadium, mercury, silica or radionuclides and, if so, what the public health risk will be.

Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children , published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children’s oral health, including fluoridation. Questions relating to implementation of any particular option will be considered in the light of the consultation.

  Section 1 (4) of The Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985 provides that the increase of fluoride in the public water supply may be effected only by the addition of one or more of the following compounds of fluorine: hexafluorosilicic acid; disodium hexafluorosilicate. All products and processes used in the treatment of water are approved at either EU level or by the UK Committee on Products and Processes for Use in the Public Water Supply.

  Trace amounts of heavy metals are found in the naturally occurring minerals used in fluoride manufacture, but at the dilution used for drinking water supplies they should be present in virtually unmeasureable quantities. In terms of routinely applied UK water quality standards for acceptable levels of heavy metals and other chemicals they are insignificant. Very low levels of metals, silicon and radionuclides from mineral sources are often found naturally in non-fluoridated water

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the review by the University of York in 2000 on water fluoridation which showed high levels of fluorosis in people who live in fluoridated water areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The University of York review, which was published in 2000, said that an increase in the prevalence of dental fluorosis of aesthetic concern may occur in 12.5% of the population. There is no evidence of any other adverse effects on health, where fluoride is used at recommended doses. The Executive is consulting from a position of neutrality.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding would be available for the installation of a reverse osmosis system in the homes of people that do not wish to ingest fluoride through the water supply if fluoridation goes ahead.

Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children , published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children’s oral health, including fluoridation. Issues arising from the consultation will be given due consideration.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was given to the British Fluoridation Society to promote water fluoridation in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive provides grant support to enable the British Fluoridation Society to continue to provide scientific advice to the Scottish Executive and to NHS Scotland on issues of fluoride.

  The amounts awarded in the last three years are £8,000 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02, and £10,000 in 2002-03.

Water Fluoridation

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1F-2126 by the First Minister on 26 September 2002, what analysis would need to be carried out on any health implications for staff in the water industry of any fluoridation of the public water supply.

Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document Towards Better Oral Health in Children , published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children’s oral health, including fluoridation. Questions about the implementation of any particular option would fall to be considered in the light of the consultation.

  Health and safety procedures are set out for all materials added to the public water supplies. Therefore, where such procedures are followed, there are no health implications for staff for any of the materials added to the public water supplies.

Water Industry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland and his department has been since inception.

Ross Finnie: The office of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland is funded through a levy on Scottish Water. The levy from Scottish Water including establishment costs of the Water Industry Commissioner’s office has been £5,170,599 covering the period from 1 November 1999 to March 2003.

Water Industry

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29101 by Ross Finnie on 23 September 2002, whether any shortcomings have been identified in relation to Scottish Water meeting the requirements of the cryptosporidium directions.

Ross Finnie: Following the recent cryptosporidium incidents in Glasgow and Edinburgh, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator appointed a consultant to carry out an audit of the implementation of the cryptosporidium directions by Scottish Water. The consultant is due to report to the Regulator by the beginning of next month and the report will be made public shortly thereafter.

Water Supply

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland approved the proposed treatment processes for the new water treatment plant at Milngavie.

Ross Finnie: The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland does not approve treatment processes used by Scottish Water. The selection of appropriate treatment is a matter for Scottish Water. The Drinking Water Quality Regulator has indicated that in his opinion, based on the evidence from the pilot plant trials, the treatment process proposed for the new water treatment plant at Milngavie, if operated effectively, will meet the drinking water quality standards and the requirements of the cryptosporidium direction.

Water Supply

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-29034 by Ross Finnie on 19 September 2002, whether there are any regulatory provisions that currently apply to the notification of a failure in the domestic water distribution system.

Ross Finnie: There is currently no regulatory provision that requires Scottish Water to notify customers of drinking water quality failures, which occur as a result of the domestic distribution system. However, Scottish Water does notify customers of any failures where there is a significant risk to health. The new water quality regulations will place a requirement on Scottish Water to notify customers of breaches of the regulations when they come into force on 25 December 2003.